


Homecoming

by Toasted42



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-27 21:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toasted42/pseuds/Toasted42
Summary: My take on Jack returning from Afghanistan. I wrote this right after True Believer aired so I'm just ignoring the past 2 episodes for right now (still processing them, tbh). I'd love to make this a multi-part series but we'll see if the creativity comes to me! For now, it's just here to keep that Slibbs spark alive. :)
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Comments: 18
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

As they stood in the bullpen, all eyes were on Agent Gibbs as he realized the ‘top forensic psychologist’ Vance had called in for their latest case was none other than Jack Sloane.

“How long you been back, Jack?” Gibbs asked in monotone voice. His face was unreadable.

“I…uh…about a month.” Her voice trailed off, but there was an unmistakable pang of regret as she thought about the past 2 years. She’d wanted nothing more than to show up on his doorstep the second she’d returned from Afghanistan but it had been so long. But what if he didn’t want to see her? What if he hadn’t missed her like she’d missed him? They’d tried to keep in contact for those first several months but getting mail in and out of the country on a regular basis, let alone a phone call, was difficult.

Her biggest focus for the first few months had been how to keep the perimeter and those within it secure. It was easy to see how keeping in contact with those she left behind wasn’t her top priority. In fact, she really hadn’t spoken to anyone at NCIS since she left. Sure, she’d contacted them all about a month into to her stint leading _Mora Ammen_ to say hello but after that, life kicked in and time flew.

The nights were usually the hardest. She tried not to dwell on what might have been but sometimes she let her thoughts overtake her, especially when she’d had a rough day. Jack’s thoughts would always come around to Gibbs. Of everything she could have longed for, it was the simplest thing: his hugs. She wished he was there to wrap his arms around and pull her in for one of his comforting hugs and a quick kiss on the forehead. There was just something about that simple gesture that made everything okay again. It was on those nights that she desperately wanted to melt into his arms one more time.

Sometimes Jack would even let herself think about that final kiss they’d shared. He hadn’t passionately declared his love for her, begged her to come back with him. No, that wasn’t Gibbs’ style but he did have a way about him. That kiss told her everything she needed to know. He cared deeply for her-- so deeply that he wasn’t going to get in the way.

As time went on though, and things began to stabilize in Afghanistan, Jack felt her sense of duty to be there fading despite her love of the work. The Taliban was becoming less of a threat in the region, and it was slowly becoming more acceptable for young girls to attend school. With the risks fading, Jack was willing to give in to the urge to return to DC. Aisha, an American-educated Afghan woman who’d joined her fight about 6-months in, was willing and eager to take lead with _Mora Ammen_. Feeling confident the NGO was in excellent hands, Jack began to arrange her departure. Soon, she’d found herself hitching a ride on a transport and, after several long flights, eventually landing back on US soil.

Vance, probably because of his endless connections, got wind she was arranging transport back to the States had reached out to her. She needed a place to stay since she’d long let the lease expire on her apartment, and Vance happily offered one of his guest rooms to his old friend.

As Vance helped Jack with her luggage, he directed her to the larger of his two spare bedrooms. “Kayla insisted you’d like the room that faces the pool.” he said as he set her duffel bag down. “It’s no beach front cottage but I’m guessing you’ve had your fill of sand for a while.” Jack chuckled, nodding in agreement at his reference to her trading Costa Rica for endless desert sand.

“Did you tell anyone else I’m back?” Jack really wanted to say “Does Gibbs know I’m back?” but she was almost afraid of the answer. If he did know, would he call her? What if he’s moved on? Should she call him? She felt silly asking herself these questions, like a teenager thinking about their crush. 

If he sensed what she meant, he didn’t let on. “Wasn’t sure you wanted me to sound the bells at NCIS right away. You know that crew, they’d be over here in a second if I told them.” Vance replied, smiling.

Jack nodded appreciatively. She wanted to see them all but it might be a little overwhelming after her long trip back. Plus, she wasn’t sure she was ready to see Gibbs just yet. Her heart fluttered nervously at the thought of seeing him after so long.

“Thank you again for letting me stay here until I find a new place, Leon.”

“Any time, Jack. And if you need a job, just say the word. We’ve certainly missed you around the office. Tried to hire someone else but he couldn’t handle Gibbs.”

Jack laughed, “Thanks, Leon. I’m just not sure if I’m ready.”

\--ONE MONTH LATER—

Jack had settled into her new townhouse, complete with a Carl the Second about 2 weeks after she got back but a job was a different story. Not that she didn’t have offers aside from Leon’s—she’d been in her field long enough that more than one agency was jumping to get her. She’d reconnected with Bishop, Torres, and McGee about a week after she got back but had asked them not to say anything to Gibbs. She thought she’d have to go into some long, strange explanation as to why not but, somehow, it was like they understood. She shouldn’t have been surprised they understood, after all these were the same people who’d insisted that her and Gibbs were having “a thing”. 

As she reminisced about the past weeks, her thoughts were broken by her ringing phone. It was Vance.

“Hey, Leon.”

“Jack, I know you aren’t officially with NCIS anymore but we’ve got a case that could really use your expertise.”

“Oh?” she asked, apprehensive but intrigued.

“Would you be willing to come by NCIS and give us a hand?”

Jack hesitated, giving herself a quick mental ‘come on, you can do this’ talk.

“Jack? You still there?” Vance asked.

“Sorry, Leon. Ya…yes, I’ll come in. 2pm soon enough? I’ve got to finish a couple of things up here.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Jack. I owe you one.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My take on Jack returning from Afghanistan. I wrote this right after True Believer aired so I'm just ignoring the past 2 episodes for right now (still processing them, tbh). I'd love to make this a multi-part series but we'll see if the creativity comes to me! For now, it's just here to keep that Slibbs spark alive. :)

\--2pm, NCIS Headquarters—

If Gibbs was shocked to see her, he did a great job of hiding it.

“A month?” he asked in an unreadable tone, “You could’ve stopped by, door’s always open.”

Jack stuttered, “I-I wasn’t sure what to say…”

Gibbs stern face gave way to the slightest smirk, “’Hi’ is always a good start, Jack.”

Jack felt her cheeks redden, “Same old Gibbs,” she thought to herself.

His reply was enough to break the tension, and the entire bullpen jumped back into action.

“McGee get Jack up to speed. Bishop. Torres. Go talk to our witness again.” Gibbs barked in his normal, all business tone, “I’m headed down to see what Kasey’s got.” He walked toward the elevator, brushiang his hand gently along Jack’s lower back as he maneuvered past her out of the bullpen and quietly whispered into her hair, “Glad you’re back.”

Noticing the subtle gesture, Bishop, Torres, and McGee all exchanged quick, knowing glances. Was that the long-dimmed fire in Gibb’s eyes they saw starting to flicker again?

Jack’s breath caught in her throat at his touch. Not that she didn’t welcome his hand on her, rather it was unexpected. He was still the only man in the world that could practically make her knees buckle with his smile, let alone his touch. In all honesty, she wasn’t completely sure how she’d expected him to act to seeing her. It’s not like they were going to run into each other’s arms, kissing passionately, declaring their unrequited love. After all, this was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, King of Subtlety, she was talking about here.

Jack headed up to her old office and got to work, comforted by the elephant painting still hanging on the wall behind her. It looked the same as it had when she left. Vance had offered it to Gibbs after she’d left, thinking he might want some more space but he declined saying he’d rather be in the bullpen. Gibbs told Vance he’d never seen much use for an office but deep down, he knew working in Jack’s old office would just bring up old memories. That proverbial (and literal) elephant was still hanging in the room. The last thing Gibbs wanted was distraction. After all, Sloane had made her choice and he didn’t exactly fight it. Not that he didn’t think about it but communication went both ways. He had connections. He could have visited her or at the very least gotten a call through. But something in his gut had told him to let her be; she needed this change. 

\--Several Hours later--

With Jack’s help, they’d been able to bring their main suspect in for interrogation. Her profile had been spot-on, as usual, and helped them narrow down a rather large suspect list. The confession, once they made their arrest was almost comically easy. Their suspect cracked as soon as Torres and Bishop threw a good cop/bad cop routine at him in interrogation. His lack of alibi and Kasey’s ability to match the murder weapon to a knife set in his home probably didn’t help him maintain his innocence.

It had been a long day but Jack felt rejuvenated. She’d jumped back in like she’d never left. It helped the team was still the same—she’d missed them all and coming back felt a little like a family reunion. As she leaned back in the office chair, she smiled to herself. Despite all her apprehensions this past month, being here today felt right and she couldn’t deny it.

As Jack grabbed her coat from the rack by the office door, she knew she had one more thing to do. As she walked into the bullpen she heard Torres and Bishop arguing over who played their good cop/bad cop roles better.

“Guys, you were both stellar, I promise.” Jack said as Torres and Bishop laughed. Jack scanned the room, “Gibbs still here?”

Torres and Bishop looked at each other, finally Torres broke the silence. “He left about 15 mins ago.”

“Damn,” Jack said out loud. She meant to say thank you but the surprise caught her off guard.

“I’m sure he’s at his house,” Bishop said with optimism and smile, “You should stop by.”

“Ugh, I don’t know.” Jack said, failing to hide her apprehension.

“He misses you, you know. Not to mention he’s going to work himself--and us--to death. I think collectively,” Ellie gestured toward Torres, “we’ve seen the inside of this building more than we’ve seen our own apartments in the past 2 years. This is the first time since Vance ordered him to go home on Christmas Eve that I’ve seen him leave at a semi-decent hour. And even that night, he hung around an extra hour.”

The young agent couldn’t help but continue, as she realized she was genuinely perplexed, “In fact, I wonder why he left so early tonight? I mean, with you…here and all.”

Jack gave a defeated sigh.

Gibbs had in fact run out of there as fast as he could without arising suspicion but not because he didn’t want to be around Jack. Truth was, he didn’t know what to say to her any better than she did. He retreated to his default: Bourbon and his basement. As he took a break from sanding the skeleton of a new boat, he took a long swig of bourbon. Why the hell didn’t he just tell the woman how he felt? He knew the answer as soon as he asked the question: fear. Fear of losing her again . . . fear of saying the wrong thing . . . fear of rejection . . . 2 years was a long time, maybe she’d moved on. “Moved on,” he scoffed to himself as he took another swig, “from what? An ill-defined, slightly-more-than-friends-not-quite-relationship ‘thing’ they had . . . or didn’t have?” The thoughts swirled through his head in the same way he swirled the bourbon in his glass.

As he went back to sanding, he let his mind wander to how she looked standing in that bullpen today. Jack hadn’t changed a bit in 2 years, she was as beautiful as ever. He was pretty sure his heart had skipped a beat when saw her walk off the elevator next to Vance. Not because he hadn’t suspected she might be back—he loved his team but they didn’t have the best poker faces. When Vance announced he had someone he had someone he wanted to pull in for this case, the somewhere between excitement and ‘oh shit’ looks on each of their faces were not lost on him. No, his heart skipped a beat because even after all this time, seeing her still made him feel like a teenager. He couldn’t help but let himself smile just a little

Back at NCIS headquarters Nick saw the lull in Ellie’s soliloquy as his out. “I can see this conversation may take a while,” Torres said as he grabbed his backpack. “If I leave now I should have time to hit the gym before they close.”

“See you both later.” He threw one arm around Jack and the other around Ellie, bringing them in for a quick group hug. “Good to have you back, Jack.”

As Torres, headed off toward the stairs, Ellie picked the conversation back up as she walked with Jack to the elevator, “Gibbs has been…different since you left, you know?”

“Different? How?” Jack was a little surprised at Ellie’s comment.

“Well…I don’t know, it’s like he lost his spark. When you were around, Gibbs wasn’t so…Gibbs-like, if that makes sense?”

“Ohhh yaaa” Jack flashed a knowing smile with her exaggerated agreement.

Both women laughed as Ellie replied, “Nick told me I shouldn’t tell you this, but when Gibbs came back from Afghanistan without you, it was like he…” She hesitated, “I dunno, he wasn’t Gibbs anymore.”

Jack looked at Ellie, suddenly his personality change wasn’t funny to either woman anymore.

Ellie continued, “Before you left, he was finally opening up to all of us. I mean, he came out to a bar with us! But then it was like that door sort of swung closed again.” She shrugged, “Don’t get me wrong, he does offer to watch the twins for Delilah and McGee every now and then. And of course, Phineas comes to visit for a weekend here & there. But other than that, he’s all work . . .” Ellie trailed off. She wasn’t sure how else to describe Gibb’s mood since Jack left. Even if she could find the words, she wasn’t sure how to say them to Jack without the risk of making her friend feel guilty. She didn’t blame Jack for needing a change, none of the team did but they did miss the way Jack had pulled Gibbs out of his protective shell. They way Jack appeared to make Gibbs whole again.

Trying to save the moment, Ellie turned to Jack and urged, “Go by and talk to him. I know he misses you.”

As they reached the parking lot, Jack asked cautiously, “I don’t want to disturb him, I mean, what if he’s…”, she hesitated, “…what if he’s with someone? I wouldn’t want to interrupt.

Ellie smiled and laughed a little. Tilting her head toward Jack and rolling her eyes, she replied, “I really don’t think that’ll be a problem. Besides, he seemed happy to see you today.”

Jack nodded and hugged Ellie as they parted ways.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My take on Jack returning from Afghanistan. I wrote this right after True Believer aired so I'm just ignoring the past 2 episodes for right now (still processing them, tbh). I'd love to make this a multi-part series but we'll see if the creativity comes to me! For now, it's just here to keep that Slibbs spark alive. :)

\--Gibb’s house—

Gibbs was just putting a log on the fire when he saw headlights pull in his driveway followed shortly by a faint knock at his door.

Jack stood nervously at the door waiting for Gibbs to open it. That fluttering feeling in her heart had returned and was spreading to her entire body.

“It’s open.” She heard Gibbs yell from inside as he set a now-empty bourbon bottle on his coffee table. There hadn’t been more than two fingers worth in it to begin with and he’d been kicking himself for only grabbing beer at the store on the way home.

“Of course, it is,” she said to quietly with a laugh, “some things never change.”

As she opened the door, she found Gibbs facing her from his living room. They looked at each other for a moment, both feeling slightly vulnerable.

Unsure how to break the ice, she thought back to their meeting in the bullpen and uttered a “Hi” followed by a small wave as she shut the door behind her.

Gibbs laughed, “Hi yourself. Thanks for your help today, we couldn’t have done it without you…” he hesitated. He wanted to tell her how much the team had missed her-- how much he’d missed her-- but wasn’t sure how she’d react. Instead he opted for, “How ya been, Jack?”

Jack sighed, she’d missed him. His voice, those blue eyes, the way he couldn’t help but smile when he looked at her. “I’ve been good. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t come by sooner. Two years away is a long time, I needed some time to readjust.”

Gibbs shrugged and nodded, “Hey, you’re here now.” The silence hung for a second before Gibbs continued, “Want a beer? Just put some in the fridge, they should be cold.” Taking her silence as affirmation, he walked to his kitchen and cracked two beer bottles open.

Jack still stood in the entry way, trying to decide what to say next. Gibbs walked over to her to deliver a cold beer. This was as close as they’d been to each since earlier today—and the same feeling washed over her. Jack’s breath hitched just enough to be audible as their hands touched. She looked into his blue eyes, not sure what to say next. She wanted so badly for him to wrap his arms around her, give her that hug she’d been longing for, and tell her everything would be okay now. Instead they just looked at each other for a moment, each seemingly searching the eyes of the other for all the answers.

Deciding to break the silence, Gibbs smiled and said, “Hey have you eaten? I’ve got two steaks in the fridge. I can grill them up.” He might be a man of few words but he knew staring at her all night wasn’t going to solve a damn thing.

Jack smiled back, bringing herself back to the present, “That’d be great—I’m starving! I could use one of your famous steaks.”

Gibbs gave a little laugh and gestured toward his living room, “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get started on the steaks.”

They didn’t talk much as they ate. Neither wanted to ruin the moment by addressing that ever-present the elephant in the room. One of them had to though, Jack thought, and it probably needed to be her. Gathering her thoughts as she ate, she let out a loud sigh which Gibbs look up over his beer as he was finishing the last sip.

“What’s up, Jack?”

Here goes nothing, Jack thought, “Gibbs…” she started. “Jethro, I had to stay in Afghanistan. I had to…” She stopped short before the words “I had to get away” spilled out of her mouth. That’s not what she meant. Not really. But she did know, in her heart, if she’d gone back with him that they’d either be in the same ill-defined rut they were before she’d left or worse—not even friends.

He looked up, “I know, Jack.” His voice was quiet but sincere.

She continued, partially relieved to get a typical Gibbs short answer, “The work I did for Mora Ammen, it was so fulfilling. I needed a change from chasing the bad guys, I just couldn’t do it anymore.” She placed a little emphasis on the ‘it.’ The ‘it’ was partially the work but also them. She couldn’t do “them” anymore. At least not as they were. She paused, wondering if he understood.

He set his empty beer down slowly and turned toward her end of the couch. In a curious tone he said, “What made you come back then?”

“I don’t know,” she wasn’t sure she wanted to say ‘because I missed you’, not without a little more explanation. “I felt like I’d done what I needed to do there. With the country stabilizing and the Taliban becoming less of a threat, it seemed like the right time to come back…to come home.”

Jack felt his gaze on her; she took a deep breath realizing she had nothing to lose, “…and I missed you, Cowboy.” She placed her hand on his knee and smiled. 

Gibbs returned her smile and playfully responded with a half-smile, “Oh ya?” His eyes turned more serious as he leaned closer, “I missed you too, Jack.” He reached for her hand that was still resting on his knee and gently squeezed it.

As they sat in silence for a moment, Jack realized all of her apprehensions about seeing Gibbs again were washing away. But with that, the floodgates of regret filled her mind, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t keep in touch. I—”

Gibbs cut her off, he suddenly felt compelled to open up to her, “It goes both ways you know,” She looked at him curiously as he continued, “I could’ve reached out to you too. Thought about it. A lot. Decided I needed to let you find the change you needed.” He looked down, almost as if he was ashamed of his inaction. “Never stopped thinkin’ about you though, Jack.”

By this point, Jack had maneuvered her way closer to Gibbs and was resting her head on his shoulder as they continued to hold hands. Her movement to this spot wasn’t really a conscious one. It was one based on familiarity and comfort. A movement she’d done for so long out of habit. A habit she thought she’d left behind so long ago.

Gibbs continued, “When I saw you today in the bullpen, I didn’t really know what to say. I guess,” he hesitated, “I guess, I was afraid you didn’t miss me the way I missed you.” With those words he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, planting a light kiss on her forehead. “I missed you,” he whispered as his breath caught her hair.

Jack smiled, this was the hug she’d been waiting for—the hug she’d been craving for so long. That simple gesture did its job. Jack knew at this moment in his warm embrace, that somehow everything between them would be okay. Maybe they didn’t need to hash out their feelings for hours. Maybe it was a simple moment of mutual understanding and, yet unspoken, love for each other.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt compelled to add another chapter tonight. Normally I sit on these for a few days and QA my writing--hopefully my proofreading skills haven't failed me!

They sat together on his couch, watching the fire in silence for what seemed like hours. Eventually, they fell asleep there still in each other’s arms. That position wasn’t going to feel so great for either of them in the morning but in that moment, neither cared. 

Jack woke up as the light barely peeked into the front windows. The fire had long died out but she was warm in his tight embrace. She carefully shifted his arms from her waist and slipped into the kitchen to make coffee. 

On her short walk to the kitchen, she became aware of how stiff her neck and shoulders were after her sofa slumber. It might have felt like a natural, comfortable position when she’d drifted off the night before but they really needed to find a better position. She couldn’t help but smile to herself as she thought of all the better positions they could find themselves in. She continued to let her mind wander as she dumped copious amounts of sugar into her unsuspecting coffee, not noticing the sleepy Marine that had stealthy made his way into the kitchen behind her.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as he brought one hand around her waist, pressing his body up against hers to grab a coffee mug out of the cabinet in front of her.

“Christ, Marine. I’m going to put a bell on you.” She said as she grabbed a paper towel to wipe up some of the coffee that had splashed out of her own mug.

He couldn’t help but smirk as he poured his own coffee, still standing intimately close behind her. He couldn’t help himself. He simply replied, “Morning,” as he reached around her to pour his coffee and then wandered back into the living room. 

They hadn’t talked about what her being back meant for them but Gibbs knew he was grateful to have her back and he wasn’t going to waste that feeling. He’d decided last night, as he fell asleep with her finally wrapped in his arms once again, that he was tired of dancing around whatever was between them. Normally, he’d have lost his nerve by morning. He’d be back to his normal, logical self and let the fear of losing her overtake him once again. But this time was different.

After recovering from the surprise of his presence behind her (she was half-serious about that damn bell), Jack couldn’t help but let a large smile spread across her face. Was this time different? She let herself tease the question in her mind. Falling asleep on the couch together wasn’t unfamiliar to them before she’d left but by morning he was back to his normal, arms-length, Gibbs-self. Her mind was in turmoil: push this situation to the next level so soon or let things cool like they’d always done. Should she finally poke that proverbial pachyderm or not?

As she walked back to the living room to join him, Jack had resolved to poke (not literally, though she was tempted). She flopped down on the couch, a little closer to him than she might have when they’d done their own version of the ‘morning after’ in the past. ‘The morning after’—it was term reserved for something more carnal but that’s how it felt to her. They had been so emotionally intimate at night but by morning that wall of friendship and camaraderie always been built back up. Not this morning though. This morning felt different. Maybe it was a product of 2 years apart. Maybe it was more than that. 

She broke the silence first, “So, you got big plans for the weekend?” 

“Boat needs some work,” he said simply.

Short and sweet. There’s the cowboy I know and love, she thought to herself. Love. That’s right, she thought it. No sense in denying it to herself for once. 

To her surprise and delight, she continued, “Want to stick around? Kind of like havin’ ya here again.” His words were typically casual but the insinuation behind them was deeper. 

There was no hiding the smile on her face but she couldn’t help her playful retort, “I suppose I could clear my schedule, Cowboy.” 

He couldn’t hide his grin either as he turned to her and kissed her cheek, closer to her lips than he might have dared 2 years ago, and replying simply, “Good.” 

Finishing off her coffee, she stood up announcing, “I’m going to grab a shower. Then, I fully intend to root around your refrigerator until I find something worthy of breakfast for us.”

“Everything is where it always is,” Gibbs replied simply as he grabbed her empty coffee cup and headed toward the kitchen. He found himself smiling again. He hadn’t decided what his next move was yet but he knew he was feeling happiness again, as long as the future had her in it. 

As the water rushed over Jack in the shower, she let her thoughts wander to the past 24-hours. Yesterday morning, she still hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell Gibbs she was back. Last night, they’d finally admitted more in partial sentences than they had to each other in before she’d left. Now, she was standing in his shower, somehow feeling more optimistic about them than ever. 

After shamelessly helping herself to one of his Marine hoodies and a pair of sweatpants, rolled up at the waist to avoid dragging the floor, she headed back downstairs to hunt breakfast.

He nearly choked on his coffee watching her walk down his stairs in his clothes. How did she make sweats look so good, he wondered to himself as he met her eyes. 

“You alright there, Cowboy?” Jack asked, full well suspecting she had caused his sudden inability to swallow his coffee.

Momentarily caught off guard at being called out, he quickly recovered and elected a playful response, “Ya, just enjoying the view.”

There was that heart flutter she’d felt so frequently in the past 24 hours. She couldn’t help but smile as she made her way to the kitchen, electing not to engage the comment for now—she had been serious about finding breakfast for them, after all.

The grin still stuck on his face turned into a full-blown laugh as he heard Jack from the kitchen, “How do you not have eggs in here? Everyone has eggs. You have bacon and 2 different types of sausage but no eggs. I thought eggs pretty much came standard with refrigerators.” Gibbs wandered into the kitchen, half-tempted to find himself intimately behind her again but ultimately resisted. Instead he leaned up against the counter in front of his stove, not to hiding the fact he was enjoying the view. 

It didn’t take her long to realize what he was doing back there, and it fueled her courage. She scooped up the bacon, both sausages, and some butter for the bread she’d spotted on the counter and closed the refrigerator door. “Guess it’s all meat for breakfast,” she grinned, cheekily.

“Works for me,” he said not moving from his position at the counter. 

“You going to help me or are you too busy taking in the view?” she asked as she tossed the pack of bacon at him. She was about done beating around the bush. Her. Him. They had something here. Surely, she wasn’t imagining things. Time and his reaction to her homecoming had proven that fact. Plus, let’s be honest, she’d been in Afghanistan for 2 years. She hadn’t been involved with anyone before she left besides whatever thing-not-thing was between her and Gibbs and that wasn’t exactly…satisfying. Things were pent up and she was tired of the dance they had going. Her only hope was that he felt the same way.

She continued forward with the rest of the breakfast items in her arms, standing in front of him and squared her hips with his. She set the items on the counter and spoke again, “Because I’m going to need you to step to the side if you’re just here to observe.” At that she raised her palm to his chest and brushed the other arm around his side to turn on the stove. 

All he could bring himself to do was grin again and offer his help.

Making breakfast felt a little more intimate than either had remembered the process. They worked seamlessly and silently around each other like trained chefs but with more intimacy. It was the touch of their hips as she tended to the bacon and sausage while he buttered the toast. The arm around her waist as he reached over to grab plates from the cabinet. Her hand on his back when she crossed behind him with the hot pan. 

Breakfast plated, they ate in silence. There was an interesting tension in the air but neither was quite ready to address it.

Finally, Gibbs spoke, “Take your plate?” 

“Oh sure, thank you!” she smiled at him, grabbing their empty coffee mugs and following him to the sink. She set the mugs down and slid herself up onto the counter near the sink. 

Feeling watched, he stopped his rinsing and looked up at her with his Gibbs stare. Not a menacing Gibbs look. No this was still piercing but in a different way. In a way that made her heart flutter once again.

“Something on your mind, Jack?” Gibbs said, his gaze unwavering.

“Just taking my own turn at enjoying the view.” Her determination to tackle that damn elephant had not been deterred. 

He cocked his head at her, “Oh ya?” He brought his soap foam covered hand up to her face and dotted a clump of the bubbles on her nose. He couldn’t help himself, she looked so cute sitting there watching him. She made him feel young again. Young and happy.

“Hey! Stop it!” She caught herself giggling like a high schooler as she continued, feigning annoyance.

With that, he pushed his fears aside, even if temporarily. He couldn’t resist that smile any longer. She’d waltzed back into his life and he was going to let her turn it upside down. His still soapy hands wrapped around her waist as she spread her legs wider to allow him to close the gap between him. Their lips met, tentatively at first, and then quickly progressed with more passion. 

She suddenly squealed as his still wet hands found their way under the pilfered sweatshirt she was wearing. 

He pulled away a little and laughed, “Sorry.” 

“That’s okay,” she replied letting her lips brush against his as she laughed. “You can make it up to me,” she continued with a more serious tone. 

“Want me to work on that now?” He said as he lifted he off the counter.

She simply nodded. For the second time in 24 hours, she’d resided the fact that talking was not what they needed to be doing right now. That would come with time. Instead she grabbed his hand and led him out of the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters but god help my husband if they'd like to lend me Gibbs.


End file.
